Working remotely in Mexico for a month

A while back I introduced Ayla to you. We remember each other from our time in Valencia, where we were both in the same coliving in Cabanyal. In her last blog, she shared about her adventures as a digital nomad in Colombia. And now she shares how she and her boyfriend Matthias spent a month in the peninsula of Mexico. Hi all, Ayla here! A few weeks ago I told you about my experiences in Colombia as a digital nomad. In this new blog, I take you to the peninsula of Mexico, where our Latin American adventure began last November.

Playa del Carmen: digital nomad hotspot

Our first destination on the peninsula was Playa del Carmen, a well-known digital nomad hotspot. Here we arrived with a loose plan and would see further how or what on the spot. Normally my boyfriend and I don’t plan our trips far in advance and we like to be surprised, especially in Europe. So it was with that attitude that we went to Mexico. We knew several people who recommended Playa del Carmen, so that seemed like a good place to settle down for a while. Once we arrived, we were not immediately excited. Everything was a bit more expensive than expected, the beaches were not always clean and the hospitality did not sparkle. In our first accommodation we were next to the long strip, with noise from all sides from clubs, restaurants and people. We knew Playa del Carmen was touristy and that was fine, especially for our first time in Mexico. Still, we had to switch gears and get used to this new setting.

Food heaven in Playa del Carmen

It was really nice, though, to settle down for two weeks and recover from our 8-day layover in London and New York City, en route to Mexico. In addition, we had quickly discovered authentic Mexican food. We have friends who live in Playa del Carmen and gave us some local tips. For example, next to the supermarket “Mega Soriana,” we discovered a food truck with the best Quesebirria I have eaten in the entire peninsula. There were also trucks with Quesadillas and other Mexican food, which you really don’t want to miss. To keep a bit of a balance, we also regularly went to “Green & Fit” for delicious salads and visited “Kaxapa Factory” for the tastiest Arepas. After all, with many tourists usually also comes a wide variety of restaurants, and you always make us happy with that!

If you book a little early, you can find a nice studio or apartment in Playa del Carmen through Airbnb. During our trip, we often booked for 2 or 3 nights and if we wanted to stay longer, we booked extra nights or (if the first accommodation didn’t feel right) looked for an alternative. Fortunately, this was really rarely the case, long live Airbnb reviews!

Picking destinations in Mexico

During our stay in Playa del Carmen, we went to the island of Cozumel for a weekend. There we went snorkeling for the first time and what fun it was! The beaches and water were beautiful, but the island itself was disappointing. The atmosphere was a bit grim we thought, but if there’s anything I’ve learned is that everyone’s experience is different. Especially in a country like Mexico, where, for example, a tropical rainstorm can make a place much less attractive. All tips were welcome, but in the end we chose our destinations based on what felt right to us. For example, we did not go to Holbox and Isla Mujeres, but we did go to Cancun, which many people were critical of because of American tourists. In Cancun, we had a great time anyway. We stayed not in the hotel zone, but downtown, in a coliving called Humant. Cancun was not on our schedule, but just before we left for Guatemala, we decided to go anyway. And that turned out to be a good choice, because in the short time we were there, I partnered with the coliving. By talking to the owners, we found out that they didn’t have a branding strategy yet and were eager to get started on this. A super fun and unexpected twist to our stay there. If you are looking for a nice work setting, good restaurants and beautiful beaches, I can definitely recommend Humant Coliving. Plus, you can also take plenty of fun trips from Cancun to further afield by car or colectivos (cheap, local public transportation)!

The lake with 7 colors

Our friends in Playa del Carmen had told us about Bacalar, a place on a lake near the border with Belize. Their enthusiasm made us curious, so after Playa del Carmen we traveled on to Tulum and then to Bacalar. Initially, the plan was to stay there for only 2 or 3 nights, but when we saw the lake, it was instant love at first sight. The lake is known as the lake of seven shades of blue, or in Spanish: Laguna de los 7 colores. The beautiful colors of the lake and the serene energy were exactly what we were looking for, which is why we extended our stay as much as twice. There are many different restaurants, you can do everything by bike, and it really is the ideal place to relax. We started many days watching the sunrise at the lake, worked for a few hours, and ended our day at the lake again. There are also fun water activities; for example, we spent a day kayaking, but there are plenty of other options. Bacalar was one of my favorite destinations and as a digital nomad, you really don’t want to miss it!

Further into the interior of Mexico

From Bacalar we went on to Valladolid, which is near one of the eight wonders of the world, Chichén Itzá. It is a beautiful town with, again, nice restaurants and a good connection to several cenotes. From Valladolid, we also visited Mérida, the provincial capital. Here you experience Mexican life more. It is not as Western as Playa del Carmen or Tulum, but a real city with a raw edge. From Valladolid, we headed to our last stop before Cancun: Puerto Morelos. In all honesty, we were quite a bit tired from the long travel days and many activities. We wanted to unwind and work a little more in a modern accommodation close to the beach. So we went on Airbnb to see where we could find such a place and that’s how we ended up at Puerto Morelos. We stayed in the home of a Mexican father, his daughter and her Canadian boyfriend. We had our own bedroom with desk and bathroom. The desk was not for two people, so we worked mostly in the shared living room. Between work we biked to the beach and in the evening we played dominoes with the father. Despite our limited Spanish, it was very cozy. People warned us that it would be difficult in Latin America without speaking Spanish, but we got along just fine. My only regret was that I couldn’t always have a nice chat with the local people. So speaking a word of Spanish is definitely a nice addition, but not a must.

How I experienced my time in Mexico

Our experience in Mexico was very turbulent, with great moments, disappointments and everything in between. Personally, I don’t feel the need to go back to the peninsula, because I missed some more diverse nature. If there is one place I would still return to, it would be Bacalar, but first I want to see the rest of Mexico. I know there are other digital nomads spots further into the country, such as Puerto Escondido, and Mexico City also seems great to visit again. So this is not yet the end of our Mexico adventure and one day we will definitely come back! And that was already country two out of three, soon I will tell you all about our time in Guatemala. Spoiler alert: it was fan-tas-tastic! So you don’t want to miss that one. 😉 Want to know more about our time in Mexico? Then feel free to message me on Instagram. Until the next one!